When many people think of AIDS or HIV, they often picture a younger person, perhaps in their twenties or thirties. But with improving medical technology and treatments that help patients live for much longer, those perceptions are becoming outdated. Often termed the “graying of AIDS,” people 50 and older are making up a larger share of the HIV/AIDS population across America. In fact, recent statistics show the seniors’ portion of the population grew from 22 percent in 2001 to 35 percent in 2007.

An important story about HIV in those over 50. The Washington area has the fourth-highest rate of AIDS cases among U.S. metropolitan areas, while Washington, D.C. itself has the highest rate among U.S. states and territories. Perhaps most surprisingly, in D.C., Maryland and Virginia the highest proportion of HIV and AIDS cases is found among residents in their 40s and 50s. For example, while 3.6 percent of those ages 30 to 39 in the District of Columbia are living with HIV or AIDS, that rate soars to 7.6 percent of those 40 to 49 and 5.9 percent of those 50 to 59.